Avelo to launch first commercial flights at McKinney National Airport

Avelo Airlines will begin the first commercial flights at McKinney National Airport on Nov. 11, giving Collin County travelers nonstop service to Las Vegas, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Orlando and Tampa. The launch gives residents a hometown alternative to Dallas Love Field and Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, with introductory one-way fares starting at $99 and a July booking promotion that includes one free first checked bag.

The carrier plans to base 184-seat Boeing 737-800 aircraft at the McKinney airport and said the new operation will create more than 100 local jobs. Avelo chief executive Andrew Levy said McKinney will serve as the airline’s hometown airport in the county.

McKinney National Airport has operated since 1979 and spent more than four decades as a general aviation field. The new passenger terminal is planned as a four-gate facility that can expand to six gates, with roughly 46,000 to 46,600 square feet of terminal space and parking for about 980 to nearly 1,000 cars. Local projections put first-year traffic near 200,000 passengers, and the terminal is expected to open in late 2026.

The expansion would make McKinney the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex’s third commercial airport, alongside Dallas Love Field and DFW. Mayor Bill Cox and other city leaders have pushed the project as an economic-development and regional-connectivity investment, arguing that nonstop passenger flights will give residents, businesses and visitors more options for moving in and out of North Texas.

The airport has also drawn sharp resistance. Opponents have raised concerns about noise, traffic and environmental impacts, and the North Texas Conservation Association filed suit challenging the expansion on environmental grounds.